It’s been over 20 years since my first and only visit to Wine Country so it’s only fitting that my wife, Kathy, and I, along with our good friends, Gerry and JoAnn B. and Joe and Carol B. will make the journey this fall. Needless to say, I am looking forward to the trip with great anticipation. The past few months have already seen a great deal of planning and, from my point of view, that planning and research plays a large role in making a vacation fun.

I thought it might be interesting and informative to readers to share the things I learned in outlining this adventure, and to periodically post here some details on how the trip is shaping up. Consequently, this will be the first of several updates on what, I hope, will be a very enjoyable visit to Napa and Sonoma.

There are a great many decisions yet to be made but we do know that we will be spending the week at the Renaissance Lodge at Sonoma, a Marriott Property. We do intend to spend the first night in San Francisco and are looking into a nice downtown location. One of the things we are looking forward to during this trip (especially because this is a blog on WINE & FOOD) are the many really good restaurants in the area. At this stage in the planning, we have zeroed in on Gary Danko, for that first night. There is no end to the websites offering advice on wineries and restaurants in that area. My primary sources thus far in the search have been, Trip Advisor, Chowhound, Fodors, and three very informative Wine Boards, the eRobertParker.com, Wine Spectator and Wine Berserkers. There is such an abundance of trip reports and lists of peoples favorites that it almost becomes information overload.

In the weeks and months ahead I will keep you informed of our plans and hopefully, by September we will have created an itinerary that will make this a great trip for all of us. As with all great trips, the real enjoyment is in the planning and anticipation. That is how you take full advantage of any vacation. Once they actually begin, they are almost over! Stay tuned.